New models let a computer choose your HIX plan; CVS gets sued over wellness program; what Millennials really want: 3 things you need to know this week in employee benefits

Personalized plan recommendations: The next big thing in the HIX market?

Stride Health is one of several new companies popping up to help consumers buy health insurance through the exchange market. By using filters such as age, gender and illness, the website projects users’ annual health care costs, monthly payments, a target deductible and costs for doctor visits and medication.

In the wake of federal and state health insurance marketplaces, Stride and similar sites offer “on-demand, personalized online search results that people have come to expect on the web,” writes Daniela Hernandez in a blog post on Wired. Stride Health ups the ante on personalization for consumers by recommending a “best plan” as well as a “runner up” based on user input. According to Wired, Stride updates the cost estimates and rankings for each plan as consumers adjust their preferences and provide more information.

However, Stride and other companies charge insurers a commission when their plans get purchased. Critics warn such a practice can infuse bias into the site’s recommendations. Further, Lynn Quincy of the Consumers Union tells Wired that consumers obviously need to exercise caution when “giving up personal information.”

CVS gets sued over controversial wellness program

CVS cashier Roberta Watterson is suing her employer, claiming that a mandatory wellness program “made her disclose personal information,” according to the Huffington Post. The company’s program charges employees a $600 penalty fee if they don’t submit to a yearly wellness screening.

“I think what irked people with the CVS program was the slightly coercive nature,” writes senior scientist Soeren Mattke of the RAND Corporation. “Irked” may be putting it mildly. When the program first was revealed last year, it made national headlines as employees and wellness experts alike spoke out against the rules.

CVS spokesperson Michael DeAngelis denies that the suit has any merit, saying that the “employee health benefits plan complies with all applicable laws” and that “results are kept confidential.”

This week’s hidden gem: What Millennials really want from their benefits

“What is good for Millennials is good for society,” muses Alyson Krueger, in a recent post for Forbes. A writer about Millennial culture, she confirms what most HR professionals already know: The younger generation seriously craves appealing benefits.

What do they want? After spending time at last month’s Human Resource Executive Health & Benefits Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, Krueger has concluded:

Younger folks want the ability to choose plans at their own pace. While the enrollment process should ideally be quick, instant and mobile, they still want personal interaction as well. They need to be wooed by a plan and able to take their pick of various options.